Guatapé, Colombia: Why Is This Town Covered in Pictures?

What if the pictures on a house could tell you something about the people who live there? Welcome to Guatapé, Colombia, a colourful little town where the walls have stories to tell. At first glance, Guatapé looks like someone turned the colour dial all the way up. Brightly painted houses, beautiful streets and decorative panels everywhere. But if you look a little closer, you'll discover that those pictures, known as zócalos, are much more than decoration. In this Passport & Pepper story, we discover the meaning behind Guatapé's colourful walls, explore the enormous El Peñol rock and uncover the surprising history behind the beautiful reservoir that surrounds it. Because sometimes, the most interesting thing about a place isn't what catches your eye. It's the story hiding behind it. 🌍 About Passport & Pepper Passport & Pepper is a curiosity-led travel channel exploring extraordinary places, fascinating stories and experiences worth travelling for. Travel beyond the obvious. Follow your curiosity. #Guatape #ColombiaTravel #PassportAndPepper A few photos in this post come from Wikimedia Commons and are used under Creative Commons licences: Guatapé, Colombia (Guatapé 38) by Gabriel Illescas, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Guatapé zócalos (Guatapé 34) by Gabriel Illescas, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Plazoleta de los Zócalos en Guatapé by Adriana García, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Plazoleta de los Zócalos de colores en Guatapé by Adriana García, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Plazoleta de los Zócalos (2) by Javadumper, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Guatapé zócalos (Zócalos de Guatapé 3) by Alejandro Rojas (SajoR) , CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Guatapé Reservoir (Reservoir of Guatapé from atop Piedra del Peñol) by Baruc Acosta, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Guatapé zócalos (Guatapé 35) by Gabriel Illescas, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi..., Guatapé Casa (Casa en Guatapé) by Alejandro Rojas (SajoR), CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Guatapé zócalos (Colombia-Guatape-Fachadas 02) by Javier Perez Montes, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Guatapé Reservoir (Embalse de Guatape) by Juan Almonacid, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Guatapé Calle (Calle típica de Guatapé, Antioquia) by Vcortestoro1, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Guatapé Casa (Calle tipica guatape) by Millerarq2000, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Guatapé Color (Guatapé a puro color) by Moterocolombia, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Guatapé, Antioquia by Caroline0307, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...